Hey, guys. So someone questioned that 'if Iroh disappeared how is he in the prologue'. I say, don't worry about it. I know where this story is going. I've got it planned out, so it'll all match up. Kay?

The moon hung high in the sky on this particular night in the Fire Nation. It was the beginning of the month of Earth and the Fire Nation weather allowed a breeze through the dark courtyard. In the Avatar's bedroom the moonlight pooled down on the pale, muscular body of the young teenager. His sleep was peaceful and his dreams were pleasant until-

"Aang, wake up!"

Aang jumped and airbended the person who yelled into his ear, away. He'd positioned himself into a fighting stance on his bed, ready to attack the intruders. His tired eyes focused on two red blobs in front of his closed door. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and turned back to the intruders, who turned out to be Katara and Zuko.

"Come on, Aang. We've got to get going," Katara said, loud enough for those in the room to hear.

Aang leaped down from his bed and landed gracefully in front of his friends. "Guys, it's so late it's early. Where the hell do we have to go?"

Katara giggled at the sound of Aang's groggy voice. "It's Toph's birthday today…umm tomorrow…I mean today. Well you get it, it's early!" In Katara's arms was a small red box. The sweet smell from inside drifted to the Avatar's nose and he hummed in appreciation. "Let's go."

Aang sighed. There was no way he was going to convince Katara not to make this trip, so he agreed. Aang slipped into a dark cloak of his own and joined Zuko and Katara outside his room. He could forget his peaceful slumber because there was no way he'd be able to experience it again tonight.

The trip to the prison in the capital seemed to get shorter and shorter the more the group made it. Over the months they'd taken it very frequently. The small earthbender had actually grown to like the people she named Sugar Queen, Twinkle Toes, and Princess. Enough to reveal her birthday was coming up, anyway. During their visit they would tell Toph about how they intended to somehow change the state of the world as soon as they thought action could be taken. They told each of their individual stories and soon the blind bandit found herself trusting them as friends. It was much easier for Toph to trust people because she knew they were telling the truth.

Toph sat up as they walked into her room and walked up to the metal bars.

"Happy birthday, Toph," Katara said, happily.

"Thanks, Sugar Queen. So where's my present?"

Katara brought the red box from behind her back and opened it up. The scent hit Toph's nose before Katara could even speak.

"You brought me cake? That's fucking awesome! Slide it through the bars," Toph told the waterbender. Katara smiled and happily did as Toph wanted.

Katara, Aang and Zuko sat down in front of the dented metals bars. Aang raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Toph. What happened to the bars?"

"Just doing some training, twinkle toes," Toph explained with a full mouth. "Did you guys hear that there are some important people being brought into this prison tomorrow-...or today? They're only staying a couple of nights before they're being shipped over to the Boiling Rock. That's all they talk about around here anymore, some Water Tribe guy and an Earth Kingdom girl."

"Water Tribe?" Katara questioned.

"Yeah," Toph replied, accidently spitting cake on Katara.

Katara looked at Aang with hopeful eyes and a moose-lion pout. Aang groaned. "Katara, we are not coming to see more prisoners. Seeing Toph is enough. If someone finds out we-"

"Please, Aang. It would make me really happy," Katara pleaded.

Zuko rolled his eyes at their antics. He knew Aang would give in and he decided to tease them a little. "Aw, just say yes Aang. You know you want to. Anything for your little waterbender."

Aang and Katara scoffed at Zuko, but then turned back to each other. "Fine," Aang finally sighed. But the only reason I'm saying 'yes' is because I know if I didn't you would try to go by yourself."

Katara grinned, triumphantly. "Thank you, oh gracious Avatar."

Aang rolled his eyes. "Don't get sarcastic."

Finally Zuko stood. "Well, this has been a pleasant visit, but its time for us to go."

"But we'll be back tomorrow night," Katara reminded.

"Okay, bye guys. Thanks for the cake," Toph said, stuffing her mouth with more cake.

They took the same route back to the palace without any complications. Once inside, Aang walked Katara over to the servant's chamber doors.

"Katara, tomorrow-…or today, I guess, Zuko and I are going to train outside of the palace. If you go I thought it would be cool if I showed you a couple of waterbending moves," Aang suggested, hopefully. If Aang were like the other people around the palace Katara wouldn't have a choice, but he wasn't. He was Aang, her friend who she just so happened to work for.

"Sure," Katara answered. She smiled widely at Aang and he smiled back, effortlessly.

"I'll see you in a few hours then," he told her, grabbing her hand and kissing the back. He'd developed a habit of doing that. "Goodnight."

Katara blushed. "Goodnight, Aang." She turned and walked into the doors with her heart pounding in her ears and her blood risen to her head. She pulled off her cloak and settled into her bed for a peaceful slumber and dreams of the Avatar.

"You call that a fire blast," Aang taunted the Fire Prince.

Zuko sent another large blast of fire over to where Aang was standing. Aang simply used his own firebending to diminish the flames. He attacked Zuko with several of his own fire blasts, one after another. The Prince blocked the first two, but the next one knocked him back at least ten feet. He landed on his butt in the bushes and childishly stuck out his tongue at Aang. They shared a friendly laugh and Aang went over to help Zuko up.

Katara clapped from where she was seated. It was very entertaining to watch the friends spar. This was their fourth match. They were pretty evenly matched at the moment.

"Come on, Katara. There's a lake right on the other side of these trees," Aang called to her. This morning they'd walked for a good amount of time to get to a place outside of town where they could train in privacy. The group walked through the thick forest of trees until they came to another clearing with a beautiful crystal lake.

"It's perfect," Katara said.

"So how much training have you had in waterbending, Katara?" Aang asked as he played with a strip of water he'd pulled out of the lake. He twirled it around in his body and Katara marveled at how graceful his movement was.

She rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "Actually, I've never been trained."

"Weren't there people in you tribe who could've trained you," Zuko asked from off to the side.

"No, you're looking at the last waterbender born in whole South Pole."

"Okay, then let's start with something simple. Try to move the currents in the water," Aang instructed. He got into the stance and showed her the arm movements. "Move like this."

"Okay," Katara said, getting into the same position as Aang. She moved her arms back and forth as he was, willing the water to move as she commanded it to. She could feel the chi flowing through her body and she watched in fascination as a large portion of the water moved the way Aang had done it. "I got it!"

Aang smiled. "Great job!" He got into another stance and pulled a long strip from the water. "This move is called 'The Water Whip'. He moved the water around in a spiral before whipping it out towards the lake.

After getting into the stance and going through the beginning movements, Katara managed to pull the water from the lake, but she had a bit of trouble getting it to whip like it was supposed to. She twirled it and she used all her force to release it in a whip, but instead it went behind her.

"Ow!" Zuko yelled, holding his forehead.

Katara winced. "Oops, I'm sorry, Zuko."

Zuko mumbled something under his breath before getting up and walking away from where the two waterbenders were practicing.

"It's okay, Katara. This move is a bit more complicated, but I know you'll get it," Aang encouraged. Katara gave him a smile and fed off of his faith in her abilities.

After her third try, she managed to complete her whip and sent it back toward the lake. The young waterbender squealed. She ran over to the Avatar and enveloped him in a big hug. "I did it, Aang!"

He hugged her tight and murmured, "I knew you could," into her hair. Katara smiled and relaxes into his shoulder.

"Hey, guys-Whoa am I interrupting something?" Zuko called as he spotted the two. Katara and Aang separate and blush, yet they assure Zuko that it was nothing. "Okay, well, I was thinking we could go for lunch in town."

"That's a great idea," Aang said. "Ready to go, Katara?"

Katara smirked and turned back to the water. She flawlessly executed The Water Whip one last time before turning back to the boys. "Yep, let's go."

In the Fire Nation Capital there were many of the world's fanciest restaurants. Aang, Katara, and Zuko chose a simple one named The Flaming Feast, but as they were walking up to the reception area Zuko hatched an idea.

The hostess bowed. "Prince Zuko and Avatar Aang, welcome to The Flaming Feast. You may sit anywhere you like, no reservation required," she told them, excitedly.

Zuko bent over the counter to whisper in the hostess' ear. "I need a huge favor. I want you to clear out the restaurant. I'm going to go somewhere else to eat, but I want you to get these two a table and tell them that I got called away by someone at the palace. Oh yeah, and make it romantic, but don't tell anyone." Zuko slipped the women a large sack of coins under the counter, where Katara and Aang couldn't see. Though, they were currently in a very deep conversation about waterbending.

The hostess smiled. "Of course, Prince Zuko. Right this way, Avatar Aang.

Zuko allowed Aang and Katara to go in front of him, so that he could slip out of the door. The hostess already had Aang and Katara seated when they realized Zuko was gone.

"Where did Zuko go?" Aang asked the hostess.

"He was called away to the palace, but he told me to tell you to enjoy your meal and he'd meet up with you later. Now, my name is Kenzi and I'll be your server today."

Aang and Katara shared a look as a busboy walked up and placed an elegant red candle on the white table cloth between the teenagers. Another walked up and placed a flower centerpiece on the table. Then as they left Kenzi spoke again, "Here are your menus. Just call me back when you are ready to order."

Aang took one of the menus and Katara did the same, but as she looked up something caught her eye. The room was now dim and the only light was candle light, but it was something else. "Aang, was this place empty when we walked in?"

Toph sat in her cell picking her toes as she did every afternoon. It was her only entertainment other than practicing her escape. Soon she heard and felt footsteps coming towards her cell. There were four people. Two of them were guards and the other two were probably the new prisoners. There was a guy and a girl. The guy was about Aang's height, if not taller. He wasn't overly muscular or too skinny. The girl was quite petite, but still much taller than herself. Their heartbeats were normal. They weren't nervous at all. Toph could tell that being locked away wasn't new to them.

The boy spoke as the passed the room where Toph was held. "Suki, I'm sorry for getting you involved in this once again."

The girl responded. "It's alright, Sokka. It was my plan, too. I just hope there rest of the group is okay."

"No talking," the guard holding the boy grunted.

The pair ignored him as they arrived at the cell they would be putting the girl in. The girl, Suki, sighed, "I love you, Sokka."

The guards locked Suki in the cell. As they were leaving the room to go to Sokka's cell he replied, "I love you, too," just as the doors closed.

Toph sat back and took her hand from off of the ground. She began to pick her toes again and pondered what she'd just heard. Soon she slumped against the metal and spoke softly to herself, "I wonder if Katara knows anyone named Sokka or Suki."

More of the Gaang is coming into the picture now. I'm excited. Ahhh! I'm getting right to work on the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed this one.

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Kataang-girl14